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Georgia 7-footer given a second chance by Auburn

Auburn has given a second chance to Trayvon Reed, who signed with Maryland out of Shiloh High School but was unable to enroll after getting arrested earlier this month.

The 7-foot-1 center currently attends prep school and is expected to enroll at Auburn in January.

On Thursday, Reed visited with new Auburn coach Bruce Pearl, and school officials won him over with the promise of a second chance.

“That’s what the president of the school and the athletics director told Trayvon — they were like ‘Auburn is the second-chance university,’” Reed’s AAU coach, Winfred Jordan, told the AJC. “They gave Bruce Pearl a second chance. The athletic director said they gave him a second chance.

“That’s what life is about – giving people second chances and believing in them. Auburn is giving Trayvon a chance to proceed in life and become a better man.”

Reed, who was rated as a 4-star and the nation’s No. 90 overall player, picked Auburn over South Florida and UTEP. “There were a few other schools, but he had some stuff he was going through that we had to get him through first,” Jordan said. “Auburn was just the one invested the right time and did the right things.”

Does Reed have any regrets it didn’t work out at Maryland? “He has the upmost respect for Maryland,” Jordan said. “He liked it there. He just feels like God gave him a second chance, and that sometimes things happen for a reason. This might work out for him better at Auburn.

“He has no regrets. What I try to teach him out of all of this is to ‘use your past to make you a better you.’ But don’t dwell on it to the point it will hurt you as you try to proceed forward in life. You can’t forget it. You’ve got to always keep it in mind, but don’t let it hurt you.

“He really wanted to be a part of that Maryland team because his high school teammate, Robert Carter, transferred there. This situation at Auburn will be a great situation for him. He’s excited about it.”

Playing basketball at Auburn will be a homecoming of sorts for Reed.

“This brought him back closer to his roots,” Jordan said. “He grew up in Montgomery prior to him moving to Atlanta. He’s a native of Mobile, Alabama. And he has a lot of respect for Bruce Pearl. Trayvon thought that he would thrive in that system that he’s watched and observed. He has a good feel on what Bruce does. So that’s what brought him back closer to home.

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Why is it so many Georgia student-athletes get in trouble and then get dismissed while they're on their second chance? Some of them move on, grow and learn the discipline they never had with Richt and company.

Why do you think that is? Would Georgia's "meat on the hoof" mentality be part of that? Just asking.

who is the biggest most shameful liars, Auburn or the ones they hire...and the President of the University just looks the other way as they hire the most despicable rats for coaches....from the ny post: phil mushnick

"Disgraced coach winds up shiny as a Pearl

If the state of both sports TV and “student-athletics” within colleges, serving as fronts for basketball and football teams is to be studied in a résumé, perhaps Bruce Pearl’s, as per his steady enablers, should be at the top of the pile.

While an assistant basketball coach at Iowa, Pearl was at the core of a recruiting scandal. No problem, he later would become head coach at Tennessee until he was forced to leave after being caught — and finally admitting to — lying to the NCAA, which was investigating a pile of violations on his watch.

No problem, Pearl, although thoroughly scandalized, quickly was hired by ESPN, from where he awaited the end of his sanctions. In March, he was hired to coach Auburn, an illustrious academic school — unless one considers “student-athletics,” which often leave Auburn in let’s-do-it-again disgrace.

Now, over to Maryland, which had recruited 7-foot-1 Trayvon Reed, although Reed first had to enroll in a Maryland academic pre-enrollment school. In July, while in Maryland’s summer program, he was charged with assaulting a police officer after allegedly committing a theft.

Last month, Maryland dismissed Reed. Again, no problem. Pearl recruited him to Auburn, which will warehouse him in Florida at something called the Elevate Prep School. Reed could be eligible to attend Auburn — er, play for Auburn — in December.:

I can only think of one other school with just as much shame in hiring coaches, Louisville

If the recent "non-arrest" of Nick Marshall was his second offence while playing for Auburn, then what was his first offence at Auburn? Are we going to count the offence he had at Georgia on Auburn's policy? You are correct to say that a second offence at UGA is a four game suspension, but do you know what Auburn's policy states for second offence? It is a suspension for half of a season. If you are correct with this being Nick Marshall's second offence while playing for Auburn, then Auburn has some explaining to do in the media. Since this story is not even surfacing in the media, then you must be inaccurate with your facts.

You should be this mad at Alabama (TE was smoking while at UGA in the dorm); Texas (they have the player that actually swiped the stuff with Nick Marshall and others); and Louisville (they have several UGA players that were dismissed).

During the football season, the media can do us all a favor--publish each school's athletic drug policy because they are all different. Some are harsh at the beginning while others are harsher if the problems persist.

Auburn is the supreme low-class university. They have two players on their football team that were kicked out of Georgia. Now, they have a basketball player on their team that UGA dismissed. In the14 +years Mark Richt has been at UGA he has never signed a player that has been dismissed from another school for misbehavior. I noticed Marshall their QB served a 1/2 game suspension for "weed possession". This was his second offense. At UGA he would have served a four game suspension for a second "weed" offense. To begin with, Marshall was kicked out of UGA for being a thief. This demonstrates the difference between a University with some "class" and a University that is "classless".

If this was his second offense for weed, then when was his first offense for weed? If it were his second offense at Auburn (not at Auburn, Georgia, High School combined), then he would, as Auburn's policy dictates, miss half the football season at Auburn. I know that you are frustrated, but you do not have your facts accurate. You are correct that the second offense at Georgia is four games, but the second offense at Auburn is half the season.

You should be this upset at the school in Texas (they have the guy that actually took items with Nick Marshall and others as accomplishes), Alabama (they have the TE that was smoking weed in UGA's Athletic Dorm, and Louisville (several former UGA players.

AU is right there with FSU in being the biggest farce of "Institutions of higher learning". The FSU QB arrested for shoplifting never missed a game. A comedy. The AU QB arrested for the 2nd time, missed 1/2 against a patsy.

@midtowncowboy I guess you pull for that team that kicks off all their athletes huh? Marshall was not arrested, but CITED! Also it was his 1st offense. Do they even have schools in GA? The one in Athens is only known for making good beer and cheap women. But I see you are a cowboy, so i guess brokeback is more the way for you....maybe you should check out the U of Wyoming.

AU is like a penal colony for GA. It's comical they considered themselves a University. They take anyone, at anything, as long as they are an athlete. But not the same for students. A institution, run by fools, for fools, who sole objective is to be "better than Bama".

Of course Auburn took this kid. He follows in the footsteps of Newton, Marshall, Matthews and all the other thugs who steal, disrepect and self grandize. This is Auburns mantra. Its not about second chances, its about Auburn winning. Nothing more

Wow, what a surprise. A school that cares nothing about character or integrity accepting another athlete who lacks both. I at least hope the Auburn fans are somewhat embarrassed by what their school has become. You guys are, quite frankly, a joke.

@chrisdilo Louisville is in that same group. Looking back at Auburn trying to get Bobby Petrino adds more to this plot. Auburn apparently looks for these characters. Its is like some ugly guy with money telling a good looking young babe he is going to give her a second chance, like that is the motivation.

I meant, that most of us are waiting on Auburn to POUNCE. Most other schools pass on troubled kids, if they have a bad history. Nothing wrong with a second chance, but The Barn takes it to extremes for less than honorable reasons...

The kid was going to go to Maryland, and is now is being pushed towards Auburn. His AAU coach is Winfred Jordan. What a shocking development. I wonder how long the NCAA will allow guys like him to keep manipulating recruiting in order to fill his own pockets.

Auburn just goes to show it has sold its soul to the devil and will do anything to win. The fact that none of the alumni are saying anything shows that have sold their souls to the devil. How embarrassing!

Okay, this is really not unexpected news. ANY TIME, AND I MEAN ANY TIME, a "GOOD" player gets booted from another team, most of us are waiting like a Red-tailed Hawk, in a tree by a bunnyhole, to "pounce" on them and offer. Now just exactly why is that? It's because Auburn doesn't care what it looks like. They just want to win at any cost. To put this in prospective for you Auburn fans, HOW MANY SO-SO PLAYERS, HAVE BEEN OFFERED A SECOND CHANCE??? Don't try to spin it, that's UGLY!!!

Wow, all this hate for someone who just wants to play basketball. Did the young man potentially do something stupid? Sure. Please allow him an opportunity to redeem himself, his reputation, and his family's honor. He who is without sin, let him cast the first stone. Bruce Pearl, on the other hand, has been afforded too many chances yet he is still being offered multiple opportunities to earn millions of dollars while the player gets a piece of paper. Exactly who is the real criminal/ thug here?

@slydawg Your attitude is exactly why Auburn is hated so much because they feel the same way. If they accepted all the kids kicked out of other Schools it would at least show compassion but they will only offer 5 - Star rejects. Like Nick Marshall , Georgia hated to kick him out . He would have been an All American Defensive back at Georgia but he had to go after his 3RD screw up. He didn't get a second chance at Auburn , Nick was on his 4TH or 5TH chance.

When a top SEC School takes in a reject it allows the Player to suffer NO consequences for his actions and it is just as important for him to RECOGNIZE his behavior is not except able . If he is any good he will be scouted at the Division 2 or 3 level but to play in the Division 1 or SEC should be a Privileged not a right.

And how long will their starting QB be on the sidelines Saturday? My bet is it will be based on the score. If auburn gets behind by 10-14 points he will immediately come in. If auburn is ahead by 2 TDs he may not play. Sleazy, sleazy program. NOTE: He was kicked out of UGa once......and if he had been reinstated he would have been kicked out a second time. At auburn, his punishment is measured by MINUTES on the bench. Thank God for ethical coaches like: CMR, Dabo.....and even Saban.